My Top 125

[Howard Schumann]

Here is my list of favorites. Some are great films, many are not but they all have had a special impact on my life and are memorable for one reason or another.

EDITED 9/25/04

1. Apu Trilogy, India, 1955-59, Satyajit Ray
2. Au Hasard Balthazar, France, 1966, Robert Bresson
3. Leolo, Canada, 1992, Jean-Claude Lauzon
4. Diary of a Country Priest,France, 1950, Robert Bresson
5. Ordet, Denmark, 1955, Carl Dreyer
6. Gospel According to St. Matthew, Italy, 1964 Pier Paolo Pasolini
7. The Great Adventure, Sweden, 1953, Arne Sucksdorff
8. My Dinner With André, US, 1981, Louis Malle
9. The Quince Tree Sun, Spain, 1992, Victor Erice
10. Ikiru, Japan, 1952, Akira Kurosawa
11. Hiroshima Mon Amour, France, 1959, Alain Resnais
12. Unbearable Lightness of Being, US, 1988, Philip Kaufman
13. Ordinary People, US, 1980, Robert Redford
14. Running on Empty, US, 1988, Sidney Lumet
15. O Lucky Man, UK, 1973, Lindsay Anderson
16. Lamerica, Italy, 1995, Gianni Amelio
17. Stolen Children, Italy, 1992, Gianni Amelio
18. Therese, France, 1986, Alain Cavalier
19. Wild Reeds, France, 1994, Andre Techine
20. La Promesse, Belgium, 1996, Jean & Luc Dardenne
21. Searching for Bobby Fischer, US, 1993, Steven Zaillian
22. A Place in the World, Argentina, 1992, Adolfo Aristarain
23. Forbidden Games, France, 1952, Rene Clement
24. Boot Polish, India, 1954, Prakash Arora (Raj Kapoor)
25. Smoke, US, 1995, Wayne Wang
26. Pixote, Brazil, 1981, Hector Babenco
27. The Search, US, 1948, Fred Zinneman
28. The Red Balloon, France, 1956, Albert LaMorisse
29. Grand Canyon, US, 1991, Lawrence Kasdan
30. Daniel, US, 1983, Sidney Lumet
31. Broken Wings, Israel, 2002, Nir Bergman
32. Nobody's Fool, US, 1994, Robert Benton
33. Z, France, 1969, Con. Costas-Garvas
34. Devi, India, 1961, Satyajit Ray
35. Good Men, Good Women, Taiwan, 1995, Hou Hsiao-hisen
36. Sundays and Cybele, France, 1962, Serge Bourgignon
37. Local Hero, UK, 1983, William Forsyth
38. The Natural, US, 1984, Barry Levinson
39. How Green Was My Valley, US, 1941, John Ford
40. Home Before Dark, US, 1958, Mervyn LeRoy
41. Resurrection, US, 1980, Nicholas Petrie
42. A Bronx Tale, US, 1991, Robert De Niro
43. Kes, UK, 1969, Ken Loach
44. Taste of Cherry, Iran, 1998, Abbas Kiarostami
45. The Long Day Closes, UK, 1992, Terence Davies
46. Man in the Moon, US, 1991, Robert Mulligan
47. Dreamlife of Angels, France, 1998, Eric Zorca
48. Close-Up, Iran, 1990, Abbas Kiarostami
49. Medium Cool, US, 1969, Haskell Wexler
50. Wings of Desire, Germany, 1988, Wim Wenders
51. Tokyo Story, Japan, 1953, Yasujiro Ozu
52. 8 1/2, Italy, 1963, Federico Fellini
53. Goodbye South, Goodbye, Taiwan, 1996, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
54. My Name is Ivan, Russia, 1962, Andrei Tarkovsky
55. The Jolson Story, US, 1946, Alfred Green
56. Dead Man, US, 1995, Jim Jarmusch
57. Umberto D, Italy, 1955, Vittorio de Sica
58. The Wild Child, France, 1969, Francois Truffaut
59. The Cup (Phorpa), Bhutan, 1999, Khyentse Norbu
60. Promises, US, 2001, B.Z. Goldberg
61. La Vie de Jesus, France, 1997, Bruno Dumont
62. La Jetee, France, 1962, Chris Marker
63. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, US, 1982, Steven Spielberg
64. It All Starts Today, France, 1999, Bertrand Tavernier
65. The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time, US, 1981, Jim Brown II
66. Matewan, US, 1987, John Sayles
67. JFK, US, 1991, Oliver Stone
68. Trois Couluers Trilogy, France, 1993-4, Kristov Kieslowski
69. The Wind Will Carry Us, Iran, 1999, Abbas Kiarostami
70. Fireworks (Hana-Bi), Japan, 1997, Takeshi Kitano
71. Woman in the Dunes, Japan, 1964, H. Teshigahara
72. A Christmas Carol, US, 1951, Brian Desmond Hurst
73. Malcolm X, US, 1992, Spike Lee
74. East of Eden, US, 1955, Elia Kazan
75. Raise the Red Lantern, China, 1994, Zhang Yimou
76. A Streetcar Named Desire, US, 1951, Elia Kazan
77. A Man Escaped, France, 1956, Robert Bresson
78. Persona, Sweden, 1966, Ingmar Bergman
79. Days of Heaven, US, 1978, Terence Malik
80. Viridiana, Spain, 1961, Luis Bunuel
81. The Ox-Bow Incident, US, 1943, William Wellman
82. Hoosiers, US, 1988, David Anspaugh
83. Chunhyang, South Korea, 2001, Kwon-Taek Im
84. L'Humanite, France, 1999, Bruno Dumont
85. The Warriors, US, 1979, Walter Hill
86. My Father's Glory/My Mother's Castle, France, 1990, Robert Yves
87. Wild Strawberries, Sweden, 1957, Ingmar Bergman
88. Hud, US, 1963, Martin Ritt
89. He Who Must Die, France , 1962, Jules Dassin
90. A Taste of Honey, UK, 1962, Tony Richardson
91. Where is the Friend's Home, Iran 1987, Abbas Kiarostami
92. Milagro Beanfield War, US, 1988, Robert Redford
93. Flowers of Shanghai, Taiwan, 1998, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
94. Cyclo, Vietnam, 1995, Tran Anh Hung
95. Color of Paradise, Iran, 1999, Majid Majidi
96. Vanya on 42nd Street US 1992 Louis Malle
97. Through The Olive Trees Iran, 1994, Abbas Kiarostami
98. Beijing Bicycle, China, 2001, Wang Xiaoshuia
99. A Midnight Clear, US, 1992, Keith Gordon
100. The Seventh Seal, Sweden, 1957, Ingmar Bergman
101. Beau Travail, France, 1999, Claire Denis
102. Life On a String, China, 1991, Chen Kaige
103. Back to the Future, US, 1985, Robert Zemeckis
104. The Thin Red Line, US, 1998, Terence Mallik
105. The American President, US, 1995, Rob Reiner
106. Field of Dreams, US, 1989, Phil Robinson
107. Betrayal, US, 1983, David Jones
108. Moonstruck, US, 1987, Norman Jewison
109. After Life, Japan, 1998, Hirokazu Koreeda
110. Blow-Up, UK, 1966, Michaelangelo Antonioni
111. Ram Dass, Fierce Grace, US, 2001, Mickey Lemle
112. All The President's Men, US, 1976, Alan J. Pakula
113. Hero, US, 1992, Stephen Frears
114. Wonder Boys, US, 2000, Curtis Hanson
115. Son of the Bride, Argentina, 2001, Juan Jose Campanella
116. Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Spain, 1971, Luis Bunuel
117. Kramer vs. Kramer, US, 1979, Robert Benton
118. Deep Breath, France, 2001, Damian Odoul
119. Moonlight Whispers, Japan, 1999, Yakihiko Shiota
120. Death of a Salesman, US, 1951, Laszlo Benedek
121. The Seventh Continent, Austria, 1989, Michael Haneke
122. Dave, US, 1993, Ivan Reitman
123. The Journey, US, 1959, Anatole Litvak
124. Quiz Show, US, 1994, Robert Redford
125. One Summer of Happiness, Sweden, 1951, Arne Mattson

[oscar jubis]

The Good
Films directed by Bresson, Kiarostami, Ozu, Bunuel, Kieslowski, Bergman, Hou, Kaige, Ray, Dreyer, Resnais, Dardennes, Amelio, Zhangke, Jarmusch, Pasolini, Teshigahara, Wenders, Marker

The Bad
No films directed by Welles, Lang, Hitchcock, Mizoguchi, Kubrick, Bertolucci, Egoyan, Chaplin or Jean Renoir.

The Odd
Malle's My Dinner and Vanya but not Au Revoir Les Enfants.
Ford's How Green but not The Searchers or one from his cavalry trilogy.
Akerman's Couch but not her Jeanne Dielman or From the East.
Erice's Quince Tree Sun is great but Spirit of the Beehive is even better.

Note: I am intrigued by your selection of Leolo, way up there with the Rays and Bressons. My history with this film is unique in that I rarely change my mind about a film to such extent. When I saw it in '92, I was fascinated with the bizarre conceits and engaged by Leolo's imaginative quest to escape his origins. Recent viewings reveal a film that hasn't aged well and doesn't reward repeat viewings. Once the novelty wears off, you are left with grotesque caricatures acting crass or gross, spirited ugliness and cruelty. I still recommend it, especially for fans of Greenaway, Jeunet and the Coens. But there isn't much underneath its quirky, shiny surface. I'd be interested to learn what makes it so special for you.

[Howard Schumann]

Originally posted by oscar jubis
The Bad
No films directed by Welles, Lang, Hitchcock, Mizoguchi, Kubrick, Bertolucci, Egoyan, Chaplin or Jean Renoir. These are all directors I admire but my list of favorites includes films which have a personal meaning to me through memory or association and which I can return to over and over again without diminished pleasure.


The Odd
Malle's My Dinner and Vanya but not Au Revoir Les Enfants.
Ford's How Green but not The Searchers or one from his cavalry trilogy.
Akerman's Couch but not her Jeanne Dielman or From the East.
Erice's Quince Tree Sun is great but Spirit of the Beehive is even better. Again, it is personal preference. I would not argue that some of the films you mentioned may be equal or better than the ones I listed but they haven't had the impact on my life that those selected have. In other words, there is no logic to my list it is all subjective and personal.
Note: I am intrigued by your selection of Leolo, way up there with the Rays and Bressons. My history with this film is unique in that I rarely change my mind about a film to such extent. When I saw it in '92, I was fascinated with the bizarre conceits and engaged by Leolo's imaginative quest to escape his origins. Recent viewings reveal a film that hasn't aged well and doesn't reward repeat viewings. Once the novelty wears off, you are left with grotesque caricatures acting crass or gross, spirited ugliness and cruelty. I still recommend it, especially for fans of Greenaway, Jeunet and the Coens. But there isn't much underneath its quirky, shiny surface. I'd be interested to learn what makes it so special for you. [/B] I strongly disagree that its pleasure wears off. I never tire of this film and I love it as much after 20 viewings as I did after one. I do relate to films about children at risk, especially films about sensitive children at odds with their environment. This is very reminiscent of my own experience "growing up absurd" in a family that did not provide emotional support.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Howard Schumann
These are all directors I admire

My suggestion is that their complete absence from your list may be due to lack of exposure to some key films. Given the films you listed, I'd be surprised if at least a few films from these masters fail to speak to you personally. Just pointing the way toward potential sources of cinematic pleasure.

I would not argue that some of the films you mentioned may be equal or better than the ones I listed but they haven't had the impact on my life that those selected have. In other words, there is no logic to my list it is all subjective and personal.

I would not argue that some of the films from a given director I mentioned are better than the ones you listed but, if you haven't seen them recently, do.
I have made the point repeatedly in these boards that there is an element of film appreciation and criticism that is unavoidably subjective. Every list is subjective and personal. Our responses are a reflection of life experience, personality, values and predilections. Many critics seem to ignore this fact. Their reviews are distanced and authoritarian, like debate papers. The most useful reviews direct the reader to the film he/she personally is likely to embrace. The best provide a clear idea of the experience in store with a minimum of spoilers.

[Howard Schumann]

Originally posted by oscar jubis

My suggestion is that their complete absence from your list may be due to lack of exposure to some key films. Given the films you listed, I'd be surprised if at least a few films from these masters fail to speak to you personally. Just pointing the way toward potential sources of cinematic pleasure. I have seen many of the films you mentioned including those of Welles, Hitchcock et al. I 've seen Au Revoir les Enfants, Spirit of the Beehive, The Searchers and others. Yes you are right, they failed to move me to the degree that I would want to view them over and over. It is hard to say why one person likes a film that leaves someone else cold but much depends on the space the person is in and the amount of energy brought to the experience at the time.
I have made the point repeatedly in these boards that there is an element of film appreciation and criticism that is unavoidably subjective. Every list is subjective and personal. Our responses are a reflection of life experience, personality, values and predilections. Many critics seem to ignore this fact. Their reviews are distanced and authoritarian, like debate papers. The most useful reviews direct the reader to the film he/she personally is likely to embrace. The best provide a clear idea of the experience in store with a minimum of spoilers. I try in my reviews to capture the essence of a film, sort of like a photographer taking a snapshot, in order to give people a sense of what the experience might be like for them. Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I am off base but I always write from my experience rather than from my head. I have strong beliefs, I know who I am and what my experience is and I try to convey that to the reader. Sometimes that requires seeing a film several times before I can write about it. My reviews are often lacking in analysis of style and this is a shortcoming I readily acknowledge.

[oscar jubis]

It's clear we have more in common than an appreciation for Ray, Bresson and Ozu. I've taken note of the titles from your list that I've missed. Part of the process of self-education that is digging up 100 years of movies. Some of the Swedish films are apparently unavailable.
I've been keeping a list of favorites, a life-long work-in-progress approaching 200 entries, some as old as Les Vampires(1914), but I haven't posted it. Lazy I guess.

[Howard Schumann]

Originally posted by oscar jubis
It's clear we have more in common than an appreciation for Ray, Bresson and Ozu. I've taken note of the titles from your list that I've missed. Part of the process of self-education that is digging up 100 years of movies. Some of the Swedish films are apparently unavailable.
I've been keeping a list of favorites, a life-long work-in-progress approaching 200 entries, some as old as Les Vampires(1914), but I haven't posted it. Lazy I guess. I'd be very interested in seeing your list.

[oscar jubis]

Thanks for your interest. I posted it under "the longest post on filmwurld".

[wpqx]

An Interesting selection. Pardon my list for being predictable. The first 100 are sort of in order, and the other 25 are just add-ons. I'd say that at least the top 20 is in order of preference.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather & The Godfather Part 2 (1972, 1974)
3. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
5. 8 ½ (1963)
6. The Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
9. Apocalypse Now (1979)
10. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

11. Intolerance (1916)
12. Weekend (1967)
13. Ordinary People (1980)
14. To Live (1994)
15. Schindler’s List (1993)
16. All That Jazz (1979)
17. Napoleon (1927)
18. La Dolce Vita (1960)
19. Psycho (1960)
20. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

21. Landscape in the Mist (1988)
22. Annie Hall (1977)
23. Andrzej Wajda’s War Trilogy (1954, 1957, 1958)
24. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
25. Color of Pomegranates (1969)
26. Dances With Wolves (1990)
27. Raging Bull (1980)
28. Goodfellas (1990)
29. The Grand Illusion (1937)
30. The Man With No Name Trilogy (1964, 1965, 1966)

31. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
32. The Man With a Movie Camera (1929)
33. The Conformist (1970)
34. The Shining (1980)
35. Casablanca (1942)
36. Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
37. Magnolia (1999)
38. The Seventh Seal (1957)
39. The Searchers (1956)
40. Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

41. Jules and Jim (1962)
42. Gone With the Wind (1939)
43. Quadrophenia (1979)
44. Ben-Hur (1959)
45. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
46. A Christmas Story (1983)
47. On the Waterfront (1954)
48. America, America (1963)
49. The Bicycle Thief (1949)
50. City Lights (1931)

51. Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1982)
52. Fight Club (1999)
53. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
54. Solaris (1972)
55. Malcolm X (1992)
56. Chinatown (1974)
57. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974)
58. Oliver Twist (1948)
59. Mean Streets (1973)
60. Moulin Rouge (2001)

61. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
62. The Exterminating Angel (1962)
63. L A Confidential (1997)
64. Duck Soup (1933)
65. Natural Born Killers (1994)
66. Airplane! (1980)
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Some Like it Hot (1959)
69. Ran (1985)
70. Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

71. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
72. Eraserhead (1977)
73. East of Eden (1955)
74. White Heat (1949)
75. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
76. Taxi Driver (1976)
77. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
78. Wild Strawberries (1957)
79. M (1931)
80. The Graduate (1967)

81. Seven Samurai (1954)
82. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
83. To Have and Have Not (1944)
84. Platoon (1986)
85. Paths of Glory (1957)
86. Children of Paradise (1945)
87. Marat/Sade (1966)
88. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
89. Top Hat (1935)
90. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

91. The Wild Bunch (1969)
92. Nashville (1975)
93. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (1995/1999)
94. It Happened One Night (1934)
95. Wings of Desire (1988)
96. 42nd Street (1933)
97. Diabolique (1955)
98. Nights of Cabiria (1957)
99. The Raven/Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
100. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

and the rest
101. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)
102. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
103. Good Morning (1959)
104. Sunrise (1927)
105. Kill Bill 1 & 2 (2003-2004)
106. Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)
107. Interiors (1978)
108. Mulholland Drive (2001)
109. The 400 Blows (1959)
110. False Movement (1975)
111. Andrei Rublev (1966)
112. Los Olvidados (1950)
113. Great Expectations (1946)
114. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
115. Persona (1966)
116. City of God (2003)
117. Do the Right Thing (1989)
118. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
119. The Princess Bride (1987)
120. Meet John Doe (1941)
121. Of Mice and Men (1939)
122. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
123. Touch of Evil (1958)
124. Rebecca (1940)
125. They Live By Night (1949)

I'm probably forgetting a lot, but that's the best I can do for now. I also have to confess to a particular love of domestic cinema as evident by my 90% American top 10.

[Howard Schumann]

Originally posted by wpqx
An Interesting selection. Pardon my list for being predictable. The first 100 are sort of in order, and the other 25 are just add-ons. I'd say that at least the top 20 is in order of preference.

Thanks for sharing your list. There are some outstanding films on your list but many are just not personal favorites of mine. As you prefer domestic films, my preference is for international and Indie films. We can learn from each other I hope.

Howard

[HorseradishTree]

There are some things on the list that I've never gotten to discuss, such as Interiors and Bride of Frankenstein, the latter being one that I disliked, much to the dismay of many.

Interiors caught me by surprise. I got it on DVD when I bought Allen's Collection Vol. 1. It was so delightfully in his style but in a whole new way. Diane Keaton managed to shoot out another great performance, as well as everyone else. After I watched it though, I shot into about a two-hour depression. Man, that one was sad.

As for Bride, I preferred House of Frankenstein. Bride was so Hollywood at that time, with the title character not even showing up until the last 5 minutes. As well, the prologue with Mary Shelley would have worked better had this been featured in the first film as well. House, for me, created some great scenes and excitingly poignant moments. Elena Verduga gave a performance that I'll strangely never forget.

However, none of these films compare to Shelley's book, which I strongly recommend to anyone who hasn't pondered the thought of reading them. ;)

[oscar jubis]

Oh, my! Here comes old man Jubis to give you a spanking. House over Bride of Frankenstein! Some hack over James Whale! (do yourself a favor and check out his The Old Dark House or The Great Garrick, for starters).

...and then. Horror of Horrors: Interiors, in which a first rate stand-up comic tries to copy Bergman (who was a household name 20 years before Allen "discovered" him in the mid 70s) with painfully obvious results. Dead on arrival.

wpqx, I respect anybody willing to give a silent a chance. I love about a third of your picks, like several more, and just about every title is worth-watching in my opinion (even Star Wars and Quadrophenia).

[wpqx]

The more Bergman I watch the more Allen I see, and vice-versa. I had an immediate reaction to Interiors. Most Allen films I was able to appreciate from a distance, but that film nearly left me speechless. There are some similarities between that and Bergman's Autumn Sonata, bot made in 1978. As for Bride it is a film that I have watched annually as far back as I can remember. I'm also a huge fan of The Raven, which isn't exactly high art, but certainly the best (albeit over the top) performance by Bela Lugosi. I admire the Bride's sense of humor, it works much better as a comedy than any type of horror film. It is also great for the set design and art direction. I admire the work of Dr. Pretorious, who leaves little to question about his sexual preference, but seeing the film two dozen times, I have learned to read a little too much into it. Not to say I dislike Indie films or foreign films, they just don't captivate me as easily as a good, well made Hollywood film.

[oscar jubis]

When he made Interiors, Allen was primarily trying to recycle Cries and Whispers but he lacks ideas of his own. I cannot deny some pleasure experienced thanks to Gordon Willis being in charge of the lenses.

Good comments regarding Bride. Whale's other films deserve a new audience too. Raven is fun.

[HorseradishTree]

The Old Dark House was interesting, but not a classic in my mind. Karloff was kind of annoying and not really scary. And then there was that one woman that was in Titanic or something. She wasn't that great either.

House gave Karloff a better role, and put David Carradine as Dracula, which was great. In my opinion, a fitting end to the series (I think it was the end), being followed by Peter Cushing's strange line of films. Ugh.

[cinemabon]

Sorry I joined this late... missing also were films by Michael Powell, David Lean and Oliver Reed. I can see, however, that sometimes... or perhaps all of the time, subjectivity is the only guide that we who call ourselve aficionados can go by. I find your list different. Many of the choices are unarguably great films. Others, I believe fall into that self indulgent catagory of being "comfort food" for the pallet.

[Howard Schumann]

I have not pretended that all of the films on my list are "great" films. In some cases, I acknowledge their flaws. The films on my list however are special to me and have made an impact on my life to a greater or lesser degree. You can categorize some as "comfort food" or whatever cliché you can think of but that does not make them any less favorites, films I can see and enjoy over and over without getting tired of them.